Here’s what’s breaking across policy, politics, and the global tech-science beat today.

• U.S. immigration shift: An India-based outlet reports the U.S. has tripled its “self-deportation” payout to $3,000 for undocumented immigrants, signaling a potentially notable change in enforcement incentives and costs. Details remain limited and unconfirmed by major U.S. outlets, but the report is drawing attention to how voluntary return programs may be evolving ahead of 2026 policy debates. Source: Babushahi.com (https://www.babushahi.com/full-news.php?id=215114&headline=US-triples-self-deportation-payout-to-%C2%A0$3,000-for-undocumented-immigrants)

  
  
  
  

• Taxes on the clock: With 2026 approaching, ABC News spotlights looming tax changes and what households should watch. The segment underscores that big shifts are coming and urges planning ahead of potential sunsets and resets in the code. Watch: ABC News (https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/tax-coming-2026-128629894)

• Culture meets politics: A weekend conservative gathering drew notable pop-culture crossover. ABC News notes Erika Kirk endorsed JD Vance and Nicki Minaj addressed Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest, underscoring the campaign trail’s increasingly celebrity-inflected stagecraft heading into 2026. Coverage: ABC News (https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/erika-kirk-endorses-jd-vance-nicki-minaj-speaks-128629217)

• UK front pages set the tone: A BBC roundup of Monday’s papers highlights several headlines: the government’s move affecting transparency around union “facility time,” a planned ban on boiling live lobsters and crabs as part of animal welfare reforms, and fresh scrutiny of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after reports that police revoked his gun licence. Read the digest: BBC (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckgd9k7xj7wo)

• Rockets stumble, nuclear restarts: It was a rough stretch for launch providers, with South Korea’s Innospace failing on its first orbital attempt and a Japanese rocket unable to deploy its payload, according to Azerbaijan’s state news agency. In parallel, Japan is preparing to restart the world’s largest nuclear plant—15 years after Fukushima—marking a major energy policy milestone if it proceeds. Roundup: AZERTAC (https://azertag.az/en/xeber/south_korean_startup_innospace_fails_on_its_1st_orbital_launch_attempt-3932603)

• Defense and markets watch: The U.S. State Department approved a potential $951 million missile sale to Denmark, per the AZERTAC brief. The same roundup flags that “strategy and bitcoin-buying” firms may face wider exclusion from stock indexes, hinting at continuing friction between crypto-linked balance sheets and traditional benchmarks. Roundup: AZERTAC (https://azertag.az/en/xeber/south_korean_startup_innospace_fails_on_its_1st_orbital_launch_attempt-3932603)

What’s next: Watch for U.S. agencies to clarify any formal policy on self-deportation incentives; for Tokyo’s final steps on the nuclear restart and how regulators address safety and public confidence; and for central banks and index providers to refine how crypto exposure fits into mainstream portfolios. And with tax season around the corner, expect a rising drumbeat of guidance as the 2026 horizon draws nearer.